- Wars, Conflicts, and Operations
- American Revolution
- War of 1812
- Civil War
- Spanish-American War
- World War I
- World War II
- Korean War
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- CIA Documents
- The NSA Collection (Documents from 1960-1963, 1969)
- State Dept. Foreign Relations of the United States 1961-1963, Volume XI: Cuban Missile Crisis and Aftermath
- JFK Library
- Navy Ships and Units Participating in the Crisis
- Enterprise (CVAN 65)
- Presidential Recordings Project at Miller Center, University of Virginia
- The Cuban Missile Crisis (YouTube)
- Admiral George W. Anderson
- Admiral Robert Dennison
- Admiral Alfred G. Ward
- Excerpt from Steven L. Rearden, Council of War: A History of the Joint Chiefs of Staff 1942-1991 (Washington: NDU Press, 2012), pages 224-243
- Bibliography
- Chronology: Excerpts from United States Naval Aviation 1910-2010 manuscript
- Cuban Missile Crisis
- Vietnam War
- Operation Allied Force
- September 11th Terrorist Attack
- Middle East Engagements
- POW MIA
- Pirate Interdiction and the U.S. Navy
- Campaign Against the West Indian Pirates
- The Bashaw of Tripoli
- Act to Protect Commerce
- Operations Against West Indian Pirates
- Navy and Marines vs. Piracy, Africa
- Suppression of Piracy on Johanna Island
- Incidental Anti-Piracy Operations, Gulf of Siam
- Fish, Family, and Profit: Piracy and the Horn of Africa
- Piracy and Horn of Africa Operations
- Rescue of Iranian Fishing Vessel from Pirates
- USS Nicholas Captures Suspected Pirates
- Combined Maritime Forces Flagship Intercepts Somali Pirates
- More Suspected Pirates Apprehended in the Gulf of Aden
- Commemorations Toolkits
- Heritage
- Uniforms
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1776-1783
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1797
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1802
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1812-1815
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1815
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1830-1841
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1841
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1852
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1852-1855
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1862-1863
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1864
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1898
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1900
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1905-1913
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1917-1918
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1918-1919
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1922-1931
- Uniforms of the U.S Navy 1941
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1942-1943
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1943-1944
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1951-1952
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1961
- Uniforms of the U.S. Navy 1967
- Customs and Traditions
- Sailors' Tattoos
- Goats and the U.S. Navy
- Navy Athletics
- The Sailor’s Creed
- The Ship’s Bell
- Striking the Flag
- Unofficial Navy Certificates
- Precedence of Forces in Parades
- Passing Honors, National Anniversaries, and Solemnities
- Rocks and Shoals: Articles for the Government of the U.S. Navy
- Plank Owners
- Ship Naming
- Twenty-One Gun Salute
- Change of Command
- The Navy Hymn
- Commissioning Pennant
- Ship Launching and Commissioning
- Burial at Sea
- Crossing the Line
- Banners
- Life Aboard
- Decorations and Awards
- Speak Like a Sailor
- Famous Navy Quotations
- Origins of the Navy
- U.S. Navy History Lessons Learned
- Uniforms
- Communities
- Disasters and Phenomena
- Tragedy of USS Memphis
- Sinking of USS Indianapolis
- The Catastrophic Fire On Board USS Forrestal
- Conestoga
- Atlantis: The Legendary Island
- Bermuda Triangle: Selected Bibliography
- Flight 19
- Amelia Earhart
- Philadelphia Experiment
- U-2s, UFOs, and Operation Blue Book
- Destruction of USS Maine
- Exercise Tiger: Oral History
- Port Chicago, CA, Explosion
- Weather-Related Incidents
- The Sullivan Brothers and the Assignment of Family Members
- Organization and Administration
- Historical Leadership
- Officers List
- Office of the Secretary of the Navy
- Fleet Commanders
- District Commanders
- Bureaus
- Officers of the Continental and U.S. Navy and Marine Corps 1775-1900
- Naval Officers of the War of 1812
- Individuals Assigned to Administrative History Project
- Commander in Chief US Allied Forces Southern Europe
- Chief of Chaplains
- Chief of Naval Education and Training
- Commander in Chief US Naval Forces Europe
- Director of Naval Reserve
- Gray Eagles
- Office of Information
- Directors of Naval Intelligence
- Japan, Commander US Naval Forces
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Manpower and Reserve Affairs)
- Naval Electronic Systems Command Headquarters
- Office of Naval Material
- Assistant Secretary of the Navy (Research Development and Acquisition)
- Commander Seventh Fleet
- Vice Chief of Naval Operations
- Ranks
- Regulations and Policy
- Personnel
- Service and Medical Records
- U.S. Navy Installations
- Washington Navy Yard, District of Columbia
- Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
- Naval Submarine Base New London, Connecticut
- Naval Station Mayport, Florida
- Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
- Naval Station Great Lakes, Illinois
- Naval Base San Diego, California
- Naval Base Kitsap, Washington
- Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
- U.S. Fleet Activities Yokosuka, Japan
- Naval Support Activity Bahrain
- Naval Support Activity Naples, Italy
- Historical Leadership
- Diversity
- Exploration and Innovation
- Underwater Exploration
- Polar Exploration
- Operation High Jump
- Art Exhibit: Operation Deep Freeze I (1955-56)
- Rear Admiral Robert E. Peary
- Matthew Henson, U.S. Navy Medal of Merit
- Alcona
- Arneb
- Atule
- Caiman
- Merrick
- Porpoise II
- USS Richard E. Byrd
- Roosevelt
- Vincennes I
- Whitewood
- USS Wilkes
- The Jeannette Expedition in Arctic Waters as Described in Annual Reports of the Secretary of the Navy, 1880-1884
- Naval Aviation News - Overview of Naval Aviation in the Antarctic pg 20-25
- Naval Aviation News - Antarctic Development Squadron (VXE) 6 pg 16-19
- Naval Aviation News - Operation Deep Freeze Photos - Antarctic support pg 22-23
- Naval Aviation News - South Pole Approach pg 33
- Submarine Force Museum
- Electricity and USS Trenton
- Atmospheric Nuclear Testing: A Select Bibliography
- The World Cruise of the Great White Fleet
- The Voyage of a Lifetime
- The Ships of the Great White Fleet
- Great White Fleet Gallery
- Beginning of the Cruise
- Fleet Leadership
- Crossing the Equator
- World Cruise Experience
- At Sea
- Puerto Rico-South America-Mexico
- U.S. West Coast
- Hawaii-Australia-New Zealand
- Japan and China
- Philippines and Ceylon (Sri Lanka)
- Suez Canal-Egypt-Turkey
- Mediterranean
- End of the Cruise
- Memorabilia
- Navy Role in Space Exploration
- Notable People
- Presidents
- Chiefs of Naval Operations
- The Office
- Admiral William S. Benson
- Admiral Robert E. Coontz
- Admiral Edward W. Eberle
- Admiral Charles F. Hughes
- Admiral William V. Pratt
- Admiral William H. Standley
- Fleet Admiral William D. Leahy
- Admiral Harold R. Stark
- Fleet Admiral Ernest J. King
- Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz
- Admiral Louis E. Denfeld
- Admiral Forrest P. Sherman
- Admiral William M. Fechteler
- Admiral Robert B. Carney
- Admiral Arleigh A. Burke
- Admiral George W. Anderson Jr.
- Admiral David L. McDonald
- Admiral Thomas H. Moorer
- Admiral Elmo R. Zumwalt Jr.
- Admiral James L. Holloway III
- Admiral Thomas B. Hayward
- Admiral James D. Watkins
- Admiral Carlisle A. H. Trost
- Admiral Frank B. Kelso II
- Admiral Jeremy M. Boorda
- Admiral Jay L. Johnson
- Admiral Vernon E. Clark
- Admiral Michael G. Mullen
- Admiral Gary Roughead
- Admiral Jonathan W. Greenert
- Admiral John M. Richardson
- Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy
- MCPON Delbert D. Black
- MCPON John D. Whittet
- MCPON Robert J. Walker
- MCPON Thomas S. Crow
- MCPON Billy C. Sanders
- MCPON William H. Plackett
- MCPON Duane R. Bushey
- MCPON John Hagan
- MCPON James L. Herdt
- MCPON Terry D. Scott
- MCPON Joe R. Campa Jr.
- MCPON Rick D. West
- MCPON Michael D. Stevens
- MCPON Steven S. Giordano
- MCPON Official Photographs
- Trailblazers
- Historical Figures
- Astronauts: Chronology of Space Missions
- Secretaries of the Navy
- Benjamin Stoddert (1798 - 1801)
- Robert Smith (1801 - 1809)
- Paul Hamilton (1809 - 1812)
- William Jones (1813 - 1814)
- Benjamin W. Crowninshield (1815 - 1818)
- Smith Thompson (1819 - 1823)
- Samuel Southard (1823 - 1829)
- John Branch, Jr. (1829 - 1831)
- Levi Woodbury (1831 - 1834)
- Mahlon Dickerson (1834 - 1838)
- James K. Paulding (1838 - 1841)
- George Edmund Badger (1841)
- Abel P. Upshur (1841 - 1843)
- David Henshaw (1843 - 1844)
- Thomas W. Gilmer (1844)
- John Y. Mason (1844-1845) (1846-1849)
- George Bancroft (1845 - 1846)
- William B. Preston (1849 - 1850)
- William A. Graham (1850 - 1852)
- John P. Kennedy (1852 - 1853)
- James C. Dobbin (1853 - 1857)
- Isaac Toucey (1857 - 1861)
- Gideon Welles (1861 - 1869)
- Adolph Edward Borie (1869)
- George M. Robeson (1869 - 1877)
- Richard W. Thompson (1877 - 1880)
- Nathan Goff, Jr. (1881)
- William Henry Hunt (1881 - 1882)
- William Eaton Chandler (1882 - 1885)
- William C. Whitney (1885 - 1889)
- Benjamin F. Tracy (1889 - 1893)
- Hilary A. Herbert (1893 - 1897)
- John D. Long (1897 - 1902)
- William H. Moody (1902 - 1904)
- Paul Morton (1904 - 1905)
- Charles J. Bonaparte (1905 - 1906)
- Victor H. Metcalf (1906 - 1908)
- Truman H. Newberry (1908 - 1909)
- George von L. Meyer (1909 - 1913)
- Josephus Daniels (1913 - 1921)
- Edwin Denby (1921 - 1924)
- Charles F. Adams, III (1929 - 1933)
- Claude A. Swanson (1933 - 1939)
- Charles Edison (1940)
- William Franklin Knox (1940 - 1944)
- James Forrestal (1944 - 1947)
- John Lawrence Sullivan (1947 - 1949)
- Francis P. Matthews (1949 - 1951)
- Dan A. Kimball (1951 - 1953)
- Robert B. Anderson (1953 - 1954)
- Charles S. Thomas (1954 - 1957)
- Thomas S. Gates (1957 - 1959)
- William Birrell Franke (1959 - 1961)
- John Bowden Connally, Jr. (1961)
- Fred Korth (1962 - 1963)
- Paul B. Fay (acting) (1963)
- Paul Henry Nitze (1963 - 1967)
- Charles Fitz Baird (acting) (1967)
- Paul R. Ignatius (1967 - 1969)
- John Hubbard Chafee (1969 - 1972)
- John William Warner (1972 - 1974)
- J. William Middendorf (1974 - 1977)
- William Graham Claytor, Jr. (1977 - 1979)
- Edward Hidalgo (1979 - 1981)
- John Lehman (1981 - 1987)
- James H. Webb (1987 - 1988)
- William L. Ball (1988 - 1989)
- Henry L. Garrett III (1989 - 1992)
- Daniel Howard (acting) (1992)
- Sean Charles O'Keefe (1992 - 1993)
- ADM Frank B. Kelso, II (acting) (1993)
- John Howard Dalton (1993 - 1998)
- Richard Jeffrey Danzig (1998 - 2001)
- Robert B. Pirie, Jr. (acting) (2001)
- Gordon R. England (2001-2003) (2003-2005)
- Susan M. Livingstone (acting) (2003)
- Hansford T. Johnson (acting) (2003)
- Donald Charles Winter (2006 - 2009)
- Raymond Edwin Mabus, Jr. (2009 - 2017)
- Sean G. J. Stackley (acting) (2017)
- Richard V. Spencer (2017 - present)
- Profiles in Duty
- Medal of Honor Recipients
- Notable Ships
- Primary Source Document
- Documentary Histories
- Chief Petty Officer
- Image (gif, jpg, tiff)
The Chief Petty Officer
Seven veteran chief petty officers of USS Pennsylvania of the United States Pacific Fleet prove the ancient adage: “Men make the Navy.” (NH 118954)
The earliest known use of the term “chief petty officer” dates back to 1776 onboard Continental Navy Ship Alfred, when the title “chief cook” was conferred upon cook’s mate Jacob Wasbie. This was an informal designation that noted Wasbie as the foremost ship’s cook, but was not officially recognized nor consistently used throughout the Navy.
The chief petty officer, as recognized today, was officially established 1 April 1893, when the rank “petty officer first class” was shifted to “chief petty officer.” This originally encompassed nine ratings (occupational specialties): chief master-at-arms, chief boatswain’s mate, chief quartermaster, chief gunner’s mate, chief machinist, chief carpenter’s mate, chief yeoman, apothecary, and band master. Chief petty officer could be either an acting (temporary) appointment, designated as AA, or a permanent appointment, designated as PA. The Career Compensation Act of 1949 created an E-7 grade that standardized pay for all chief petty officers, regardless of acting or permanent status. Acting status for chief petty officers was not eliminated until 1965. A 1958 amendment to the Career Compensation Act added two new pay grades, senior chief (E-8) and master chief (E-9), and created six new rating titles.
Today, there are three chief petty officer ranks: chief petty officer, senior chief petty officer, and master chief petty officer. Chiefs are recognized for exemplary technical expertise within their rating, superior administrative skills, and strong leadership ability. Most importantly, chiefs bridge the gap between officers and enlisted personnel, acting as supervisors as well as advocates for their Sailors.
Learn more about the rank of chief petty officer by exploring the links, below.
History and Tradition of the Chief Petty Officer
Anomaly of the "Enlisted Officer"
Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy
A Tradition of Change: CPO Initiatives to CPO 365 (pdf)
One Hundred Years of Leadership
History of the Chief Petty Officer Grade
History of the Chief Petty Officer Grade: 120 Years of Deckplate Leadership.
Chief Petty Officers' Uniforms U.S. Navy
United States Navy Chief Petty Officer Creed
United States Navy Chief Petty Officer’s Pledge
Z-grams
Z-Gram #9: Meritorious Advancement in Rate of Superior Performing Career Petty Officers
Z-Gram #80: MCPOs on E-8/E-9 Selection Boards
Z-Gram #120: Revised Master Chief Petty Officer of the Fleet/Force/Command Program
Blog Posts
Silent Professionals: History of the Rank of Chief Petty Officer
The U.S. Navy Chief Petty Officer
Overcoming Hurdles – The Legacy of Master Chief Carl Brashear
Happy 122nd Birthday Chief Petty Officers!
MCPON William H. Plackett: A Focus on Leadership
MCPON Bob Walker Rises to Navy’s Top Enlisted Post and the Middle of the Road
Notable Chief Petty Officers
Master Chief Petty Officers of the Navy
Chief Petty Officer Recipients of the Medal of Honor
Master Chief Boatswain's Mate Carl M. Brashear
Chief Gunner's Mate John Henry "Dick" Turpin
Force Master Chief Petty Officer of the Seabees James D. Fairbanks
Click here to learn more about Navy ratings and ranks.
Infographics
Footnotes
- Accessibility/Section 508 |
- Employee Login |
- FOIA |
- NHHC IG |
- Privacy |
- Webmaster |
- Navy.mil |
- Navy Recruiting |
- Careers |
- USA.gov |
- USA Jobs
- No Fear Act |
- Site Map |
- This is an official U.S. Navy web site